What’s the best/worst family holiday you’ve done?

[CaveWoman1]

Looking for inspiration here, also curious to hear other people’s various holiday experiences with kids. What’s the best family holiday you’ve done, and what made it good?

I’ve got two kids, aged 7 & 3.5 and we’d be a group of four altogether; me, my DH & the kiddies.

If you want, please also feel free to share your worst holiday experiences. Then I’ll know what/where to avoid & why!!!!

Sani Resort & Antigua.

Won't ever be having holidays like them again and looking back now being in a completely different situation, I can see that good health and healthy financial situation made the breaks good emotionally.

If that make sense.

But I think in answer to your question, warmth from the sun, no timekeeping and seeing DD make new friends, quality food and beautiful settings on the coastline were perfect and ideal.

Costa Rica with kids similar ages. We stayed at Tabacon Hot Springs which was amazing and there was a water park just down the road and then went to Samara for surfing, zip lining, jungle trekking and a monkey rescue place. I’ve been waiting for this bloody Covid to piss off so we can all go back again.

Pine Bay Resort, Kusadasi, Turkey. We went two years in a row. The DC were about six and eight, just perfect easy ages.
Reliable weather, lovely hotel and resort, stunning sunsets, cocktails, water parks, Ephesus etc. We've travelled more exotically and unusually but somehow Pine Bay remains special.

Eurocamp in France was by far the best. So much to do, loads of activities if you want them and when the kids are in bed you can relax on your decking of the mobile home with a glass of very cheap and very good wine!

Worst was an all inclusive in Turkey. Just awful, full of drunk people all day every day.

We stay in the UK and go on a couple of caravan holidays in the year worst site we stayed on was one in Blackpool dirty, small, not alot on site todo. Best site that is a must every year is flamingoland the dc absolutely love it there.

Best - Martinhal Sagres.

Haven't had a bad one yet!

Looking back to my childhood:

Best - 2 weeks on a resort in Majorca. I made friend's with the manager's daughter and o was amazed that she could speak fluent Spanish and English. That was the start of my love of foreign languages. There was also an amazing kids club and a fab beach.

Worst - 2 weeks in Aviemore. It rained every single day, usually non-stop. I just wasn't that much fun.

Best in the UK - caravan park in Isle of Wight. Absolutely loads to do for children, really easy to explore the island as it's small. Ferry crossing made DDs think we were going abroad. Just an easy, relaxed holiday with no stress.

Best we've had abroad - all inclusive hotel in Menorca. Island feels very safe, children happy with the pool and ice cream, drinks on tap. Kids club, job done.

I think if it's a no hassle kind of holiday we have a far better time. I'd like to go to some more exocitc destinations but with young children hassle-free is more appealing.

Best- Saas-Fee staying in the youth hostel one summer. We did lots of walking, cable cars and playing in streams. In the evenings one of us took DS to the pool at the hostel whilst the other one used the spa there. We’re going back this summer.

@MinnieMountain that looks lovely. Would you say enough for 10/14 year old to do?

Rome with a 4 year old was the best. So much to do, so easy to move around. Pizza and ice cream at every turn.

The worse was turkey in May with a 2 year old. It rained for about 2 days, then the rain had ruined the pool and it was a few days before that could be used. The hotel was on a really steep hill which was a disaster with a 2 year old in a buggy.

Me and DH have very different ideas about what makes a good holiday. Butlin Minehead is the best thing we've found to suit everyone. Beach, Fairground, Kids activities for me DS and DD in the morning.
Pootling about neolithic mounds and bracing walks across the Exmoor for DH in the afternoon. It was basically Holiday Showdown but in real life.

Worst was the "Bos-tal" a youth hostel consisting up of drafty wooden huts in the Amsterdam Bos, a park outside Amsterdam.
Run by the Netherlands answer to Basil Fawlty. Filthy coin operated showers, freezing sleeping quarters with hard bunks, a shop that sold toilet paper by the square. And frequent explosive tantrums by the site manager.

Not sure on best, we always enjoy ourselves! Normally stay in Europe or UK in caravan.

Worst for me probably Disneyland Paris. Or Centreparcs!

Negril in Jamaica - so relaxed - wide beach with super soft sand, lots to do. I recommend the Charela Inn, very family orientated with good value family rooms in the best spot on the beach: charelainn.com/

Best. Corfu, love it there. Had an apartment practically on the beach. It was heaven.

Worst, camping in the new forest in the rain. I’ve camped there at other times and enjoyed it, but there’s nothing to do really in the rain and let’s face it, wet camping is miserable.

Mauritius- Kids 6 & 12 . Loved it and 7 years later still talk about it fondly

VW camper van trip to Italy with friends . The husband In the other couple turned into the biggest arsehole you have ever met, after 1 week of snidy remarks and silent treatment to his family and us we left them to it and went our separate ways . They split up not long after and I'm still great friends with the wife and she is much happier with out arsehole xhusband.

I think our best family holiday was in Yorkshire

Worst was in a remote part of the Scottish Borders, but that was with my in-laws and it was always going to be ghastly.

For us with our only, all the best holidays were the ones with loads of other children for her to make friends with.
That and a pool or the sea.
All that's needed

We stayed at the Ikos Oceania for 10 nights. I've usually had enough of a holiday abroad by day 8. I didn't want to leave! It was amazing!

Best UK holiday is definitely Mawgan Porth in Cornwall. Love it there. We've been taking DS since he was a baby. He's 17 soon and it's still his favourite holiday. There's so much to do in the area and Mawgan Porth is so relaxed, the beach is beautiful.

I also took DS and his mate to Benidorm on my own when they were 14. We had a really good time. I really liked Benidorm, I was pleasantly surprised!

We also loved Mallorca. We stayed at the Iberostar Playa De Muro Village hotel. It's right on the beach and the pool areas were really safe for DS.

Whitecliffe Bay campsite on IOW. A long time ago now, but it was £100 for 5 days for pitch with hook up and ferry crossing.
Well we got there and it turned out it was a holiday camp. Once we got over ourselves and I stopped clutching my metaphorical pearls it was fantastic. The kids rode their bikes round the campsite and got the morning papers for us and any other bits we needed from the shop plus they made loads of friends. Play areas, beach, kids entertainment and swimming pool all part of the wider site. It was full of nice decent people on tight budgets just like us who wanted to give their kids a lovely holiday. We had plenty of common ground.
Highlight for me was winning £50 on the bingo one night. Honestly the best most fun holiday we have ever had. We never went back as we don't want to tarnish the memories.

Best UK was St Andrews in a lovely collection of cottages called Pitmilly when DD was 7. Next to a little pool, great playground, loads of land and it was safe enough to let DD collect the paper and eggs from the mailboxes. She cried when it was time to go home.

Non UK was Disneyland Paris - so enjoyable at Halloween.

Non UK pre-DD was a Great Rail Journeys trip to Lake Garda. Youngest on the trip by 25-30 years but it was bloody brilliant. Getting on the train at Manchester Piccadilly and knowing you’re actually getting the train all the way down to Italy is a bit surreal.

Worst was Presthaven Sands in North Wales- both me and DH remembered having amazing holidays there as kids but it wasn’t the same. Guess you can never really go back. Plus the power kept going off which wasn’t fun. I really wanted to like it but it wasn’t for us.

Been going to Pitmilly on and off since late 90s - really do recommend it for a decent break.

Best holidays are Scotland.
Don't care if it rains!
Although last summer on Iona was like a beach abroad. And there was just us on it all day!

DS is only 8 @whoopstheregoesmyshouldet but I think so. Saas-Fee tourism has a website with lots of information.

The best ones we had were with grandparents too, in a villa, and family time. It's what the children remember and I cherish the memories now my parents are unable to travel.

We went to Minorca, Majorca, and Cyprus. Not sure it matters where but a private swimming pool is a fab addition and we had them in all three islands.

Never been anywhere especially exotic as a family, would LOVE to go to Thailand, Costa Rica, South Africa.

Our best hols have always been campsites in Europe (Italian Lakes, the Dordogne, northern Spain). Great weather, activities, pool, lots of other kids to meet, kids club, safe for them to go off by themselves.

Worst is anywhere in the UK in the rain.